A Taste of Forbidden Pleasures
by HarkinScriptores
Summary: Set in Series 3, episode 7, of BBC Merlin. Cenred takes quite a shine to Morgana when she is captured along with Arthur, Gwen and Merlin. How do things unfold...? One-shot for now but will become a full length fic eventually!
1. Chapter 1

"Well, well, Arthur Pendragon. How kind of you to pay me a visit." Morgana knelt on the floor where she'd been roughly shoved, watching as King Cenred advanced on Arthur. "And look, you brought some friends with you!" Cenred pointed out with mock delight in his deep voice. The man, dressed from neck to foot in leather, bypassed Gwen and Merlin who were also on the floor to Morgana's right and looked at her.

"Oh! The Lady Morgana, no less," he remarked, kneeling down in front on her and reaching out a hand to touch her face. _Play your part_, she reminded herself silently.

She recoiled from his hand, glaring at him with open disgust. "Don't so much as breathe on me, you pig."

He smirked, clearly enjoying the reactions he was getting from his audience. Morgana looked up, hoping that Morgause could see her annoyed expression. She didn't understand why she had to put up with this nonsense. Morgana was Morgause's own flesh and blood; it didn't seem very fair that she had to endure the same treatment as Arthur and two servants. After all, had it not been for her actions, Arthur would not have been at Cenred's mercy in the first place.

"The more the merrier I say!" Cenred declared gleefully.

"I'm the one you want, Cenred, let them go," Arthur piped up. Morgana couldn't help but roll her eyes. He always had to play the martyr!

"You're right, that would only be fair," he considered carefully, pacing up and down in front of his four prisoners before rounding on Arthur. "But fair's for fools, take them away!" he shouted, still smirking. Morgana panicked inwardly; surely she wouldn't be thrown in the dungeons with the rest of the group?

"I won't let you harm them!" Arthur exclaimed, clambering to his feet and trying as best as he could to launch himself at Cenred. "They're innocent!"

The smirk dropped from Cenred's face. "Innocent?" He questioned, rounding on the prince. "No friend of Camelot is innocent."

Morgana didn't hear the rest of the conversation, having been dragged rather unceremoniously from the hall. She continued to struggle as the burly guards dragged her towards an empty cell; she had to keep up appearances after all.

She watched as Gwen and Elyan were dragged away, yelling and trying their best to fight off the guards. As soon as they had rounded the corner, she turned on the guard holding her. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded indignantly. "Have you no idea who I am? Let me go!"

"Calm down, My Lady," he pleaded, releasing his grip on her upper arms slightly. "It's just until the others are imprisoned." Morgana huffed, still not entirely happy with the situation, but she could see the sense in it.

"I will kill you for this!" the pair suddenly heard Arthur yell.

"In there," the guard said, pointing at a doorway not far from them. She rushed over to it and hurried inside, leaving the door ajar so she could watch Arthur being dragged off, presumably to be put in a cell. Once he had passed, she marched out of the room with her head held high.

"Take me to my sister," she demanded.

"All in good time," a familiar deep voice answered.

Morgana narrowed her pale eyes at her unwelcome visitor. "I want to see my sister, Cenred. Let me see her, now."

Cenred laughed, looking pointedly at the guard to silently suggest he wished to be left alone with his 'guest'.

As soon as they were alone, the King of Essitir smiled. The expression was far more natural than it had been when she had seen it earlier in the throne room. "My lady, I trust you were treated well by my men?"

"No. Your men are thugs," she spat stepping backwards before he had the chance to retaliate.

"We had to keep up appearances, Morgana," he countered, taking a step towards her, closing the gap she'd just put between them; he was close enough for her to feel his warm breath on her face. She looked up into his face, noting as she did that he had very nice brown eyes. She did not notice him raise his hand and so jumped when the back of it lightly brushed her hair.

"You're very beautiful, My Lady," he whispered.

A smile began to play on Morgana's lips but then she stopped herself. "Cenred, do not try and get around me with flattery. You are courting my sister."

"Courting is a relative term, My Lady," Cenred replied slowly, continuing to stroke her hair. "I admit, your sister is also a very attractive woman and she has had my affections for some time now. Unfortunately, I find myself in a predicament now that I've met you."

Morgana scowled at him. "Men! You're all the same; dangle a shiny new toy in front of them and they have to have it!"

"Are you really any different, Lady Morgana?" He asked, beginning move around her slowly, growing closer with every circle.

"What are you talking about? I am nothing like you," Morgana replied, hoping to sound disgusted at the very suggestion. However, as hard as she tried, inside she couldn't truly feel disgusted at his words. Not when she knew that, yes, she was the same. When she wanted something, she had to have it; that's how it had always been. Maybe she was spoilt but she was used to it now.

"I think you are," he murmured down her left ear, his breath tickling her thin neck. She resisted the awful urge to lean into him.

"I'm not," she protested, trying with all her might to make her body move away from him. She couldn't possibly want this – him – it was wrong.

"Are you honestly trying to tell me you're not enjoying this?"

"Enjoying what?" Morgana snapped, confused by his words. He couldn't be talking about his mere presence. Even Cenred couldn't be that vain. If he wasn't talking about his proximity what was he talking about?

"How close I am to you, Morgana. I think you're lying to yourself," Cenred answered simply. If she could have seen his face she was sure he would have been grinning at his 'cleverness'.

His words startled her back into her senses. She wrenched herself away from him as fast as she could and furiously spun around to face him.

"Stop it!" Morgana screeched at him wildly. "Just stop it!" His response was to snigger at her which served only to infuriate the woman further. "Mark my words, I'll tell my sister about this," she warned him in a hiss. Cenred scoffed at the idea, clearly unafraid of Morgana informing her sister of his flirting.

"Sister!" came Morgause's silky voice from the doorway. "Warn me about what?"

"That Arthur has a habit of escaping imprisonment," she lied quickly. _Wait, what?_ Why was she lying for Cenred? She didn't need to turn around to know Cenred was smiling and nodding in agreement. She also didn't need to turn around to know he was now feeling extremely arrogant in the knowledge she'd lied to save his skin.

"Arthur is not going to escape these cells," Morgause said assuredly, smiling smugly at Cenred.

"Why not just kill him now?" Morgana asked; knowing Arthur better than either Morgause or Cenred she did not share in their certainty.

Cenred chuckled darkly moving to her side so that she could see him. "How cold-hearted you've become!"

Morgana relaxed slightly, realising she had been tense since her sister had entered the room. Now that Cenred was being watched by Morgause he wasn't going to try anything with her. She tried to ignore the part of her that wondered exactly what Cenred had been planning for her, for part of her wished hard for him to have been able to continue. _No! _He was with her sister! She shouldn't be thinking like this! But then he was very… _Stop it!_ She needed to get a grip.

"He still has his uses," Morgause explained, distracting Morgana from her thoughts. "He knows more about Camelot's defences than anyone." _He also knows me better than anyone so it won't take him long to figure out it was me who betrayed him,_ Morgana thought. She took hold of her sister's hands in an attempt to plead with her. All thoughts of Cenred gone from her mind now, Arthur had to be killed.

"Arthur will never tell you anything," she tried, desperately.

"Cenred has his methods," Morgause revealed turning away from her sister to look at the king who was now sitting in a chair a little way away from the sisters.

Morgana followed her sister's line of sight, catching Cenred's eyes as he smiled at Morgause's words, clearly taking them as a compliment. "Whatever your methods, Arthur is too loyal to his father and his kingdom. He would rather die."

The others ignored her warnings, instead beginning to discuss what they would do with the information Arthur was sure to reveal. She found herself beginning to stare at Cenred. What was his game? Did he want to kill Arthur for his own ends or was he just trying to please her sister? If the latter was true, then why was he flirting with _her_? More than flirting with her… But she _had_ liked it. She couldn't exactly deny it to herself; things just didn't work like that, did they? Because no matter how much one tries to lie to themselves, deep down, they know the truth.

Cenred wasn't by any means an ugly man and she had very much enjoyed his attention and flattery, no matter how much she shouldn't have.

"Sister?" Morgana came sharply out of her thoughts to see Morgause gazing at her with a concerned expression upon her face.

"Sorry, what?" she asked, shaking her head as though it would rid it of all her unwanted thoughts.

"What are you thinking?"

Morgana thought for a moment before returning her attention to her waiting sister. "Whatever your plans for Arthur, I suggest they are carried out sooner rather than later. Arthur's not the kind of man to simply sit and wait to be tortured or worse."

As soon as the words had left Morgana's mouth loud warning bells began to sound out.

"Arthur," Cenred growled, standing up and advancing towards the door.

"You should've killed him when you had the chance!" Morgana shouted at Cenred's back, panicked at the thought of this opportunity going amiss. She did not want Arthur returning to Camelot alive and well.

"He won't get far, my men will deal with him easily enough," Cenred stated confidently.

Morgana stared incredulously at the man; surely he should be more concerned about Arthur's imminent escape. "Cenred if he escapes-"

She wasn't given the chance to finish her sentence. Cenred had grabbed her rather harshly, forcing her out of the room and towards the throne room she had originally been thrown into with Arthur, Gwen and Merlin. "Where are you taking me?" She demanded, struggling against his tight grip.

"We have to make this believable, My Lady," he answered simply, continuing to tug at her arm. "You must play your part well."

"When have I not?" she asked rhetorically with a mischievous grin on her face.

He continued to pull her back towards the throne room, his grip moving from her upper arms to her waist, making her think he was being more seductive than threatening. Again, she couldn't help but admitting to herself that she liked the way his hands felt on her body.

"Cenred, I—" Morgana wasn't entirely sure what she was planning on saying to her 'captor' but he suddenly whirled around and smashed his lips into hers, stopping her saying anything at all. Her first instinct should have been to fight him, to push him off, but she didn't. Instead, she stood still in his arms and allowed his mouth to work on hers.

It felt far better than it should have. Much as Morgana hated to admit it, Cenred was a very skilled kisser. His hands were very adventurous, roaming her curves. She began to realise that much as she was enjoying the kiss it was hardly appropriate given their current circumstances. With a great deal of reluctance she began to pull away, pushing against Cenred's muscular shoulders with as much force as she could muster.

"We can't."

Cenred sighed, clearly disappointed by her response. Not that she cared; it wasn't as if she was going to encourage him to try again. "Oh really?"

She nodded, trying to move away.

"You kissed back."

"I shouldn't have," she told him, looking anywhere other than his deep, intense eyes.

"But you did and that means you wanted to. You want me, Morgana, just as much as I want you."

Any desires Morgana had held about him just evaporated on the spot. How could he be so arrogant? Okay, so maybe she had wanted him, but for him to come out and say it so boldly? That was not on.

"I do not want you, Cenred," she snarled, narrowing her eyes at him. They both frowned as they heard some sort of commotion outside; Arthur was here.

"Fine," Cenred muttered coldly, all passion in his eyes vanishing, "Have it your way." Before she could ask what he meant, he lunged forward, grabbed her wrist and spun her around so she had her back pressed into his front. His swords were already drawn and he placed one of them firmly to her neck.

The door flew open seconds later as Arthur burst into view. His eyes darted around the room before finally settling on the scene before him.

"That's close enough," Cenred ordered his voice dangerous. Morgana shuddered as she felt the vibrations of his voice against her back.

"Please don't hurt me," she begged, flinching as the sword moved closer to her throat. She hadn't been particularly worried about acting afraid before. Now she was beginning to truly fear for her life. Perhaps rejecting the man just before he pressed a sword to her throat had not been Morgana's best idea.

Clearly unafraid of Cenred and his threats, Arthur continued to progress towards the entwined pair, tightening his grip on his sword.

"One more step and she dies," Cenred warned the prince. However much she'd not wanted Arthur to survive this journey, a small part of her really appreciated the lengths he'd go to for her.

"You're a coward, Cenred," Arthur said, stepping backwards. Morgana cursed him for goading the king whilst he was holding his sharp sword to her throat. "You always were." The two men started to awkwardly circle each other, with Morgana still being held by Cenred in the middle. Cenred sneered, pushing his sword closer to Morgana's vulnerable throat.

"It's cowards who survive Arthur," he growled. Well, he probably had a point. "Now put down your sword." When Arthur did not do as requested of him, Cenred tightened his grip once more.

Morgana grimaced, trying her best to convey to her half-brother how scared she was.

"Do as he says," a voice demanded. Morgana watched as Arthur's focus moved from Cenred to the speaker.

Cenred turned sharply in the Morgause's direction, clearly unsure of how much she had seen. Morgana could feel his warm cheek pressed against her hair and his heartbeat speed up significantly. She did her best to look at her sister but was rather restricted by the sword that Cenred had yet to move from her exposed skin.

"You seem surprised," Morgause observed, coming further forward to stand just in front of Cenred and his captive.

"Hardly," Arthur retorted, swinging his sword in preparation as Cenred began to retreat further back to allow Morgause to take centre stage. Arthur really was right; Cenred was one of the biggest cowards Morgana had ever known. "I know what you're capable of."

"Oh, you have no idea," Morgause corrected assuredly. Before Arthur could begin to comprehend her sister's words, Morgana watched as Morgause produced what she could only describe as a tornado of fire.

Cenred slowly relaxed his grip on her. She put some distance between herself and Cenred, still worried he might try and attack her and Morgana watched as her sister controlled the rising, spiralling flames. She had concede she was more than a little impressed, but she had no time to dwell any more on the matter because she, along with her companions, were sent flying backwards with no warning.

Morgana woke to find herself side-by-side with Cenred and Morgause lying unconscious a little way off. She sat up groggily, trying to figure out what had just happened but all she knew for certain was that her head hurt and the majority of the ceiling was lying in bits on the floor.

Arthur ran straight to her and helped her to her feet. _No! This wasn't supposed to happen! _He was supposed to be begging for her mercy – which she had no intention of giving – not helping her!

"Are you alright?" he asked, but continued before she had a chance to reply. "Come on!" She stood up, still holding onto his hand, and reluctantly allowed him to pull her away from an awakening Cenred.

Merlin walked slowly into the room, clearly unwelcome by Arthur who began yelling almost immediately after he noticed the servant. Morgana did her best to tune out the petty argument, watching Morgause's limp body in the desperate hope that she would soon show signs of life. She fought the urge to gasp as Morgause's head slowly began to move. She had no opportunity to check her sister was well as she was hastily dragged from the room by a clearly impatient Merlin. The last thing she saw before she was completely clear of the room was Cenred sitting up to glare at her. The image of which haunted her during the entire journey back to Camelot.

**A/N … Hi there! It's been a while, we know, for which we apologise profoundly (please don't hate us!) The idea came to us after re-watching a few episodes of Series 3 and deciding (again) that Tom Ellis is an extremely attractive example of a man… After our exams (in a few weeks) we have plans of turning this into a full length fic, so keep checking up on it and, er, let us know what you think? We'd love you too! **

**~ Emily and Kim ~**


	2. Chapter 2

"Will that be all, My Lady?" Gwen asked, beginning to back towards the door. Morgana nodded absently, checking her reflection in the mirror.

"Yes, I'll prepare myself. Sleep well, Gwen."

Morgana waited a few minutes to ensure Gwen was not about to return before taking her cloak from the end of the bed. She had promised to meet Morgause in the woods to discuss their plans for Arthur. She made her way through the castle, checking over her shoulder every few minutes to ensure she wasn't being followed by Merlin; he had developed a habit of following her, it would have been amusing had it not been so irritating.

XXX

As always, Morgana had to wait a while before her sister appeared; appeared being the operative word because she did tend to just appear out of nowhere. She decided she'd have to ask her how she did that sometime. The night was quite chilly and, after quarter of an hour when Morgause did not show, Morgana began to get slightly irritated, rubbing her arms to try and retain a little bit of heat in them.

Just as she was about to give up and return to the castle, she heard a small cough somewhere to her left. It was not, however, the feminine cough she would have expected from Morgause, but a masculine cough. She whirled around expecting to find that Merlin had followed her but, emerging from behind a tree was none other than King Cenred.

"What are _you_ doing here?" she snapped, backing away slightly. She wasn't sure if he'd forgiven her.

"You don't sound pleased to see me, My Lady," he observed, grinning at her and walking forward. They stood facing each other silently for a few minutes, Morgana growing increasingly impatient with each passing moment. He hadn't risked coming into Camelot just to tell her she wasn't pleased to see him.

"What do you want Cenred? Where's my sister?" Morgana questioned, trying to stop herself shivering from the cold. If she had known Morgause wasn't coming she would have stayed in the warm castle. She wasn't in the mood for Cenred and his flirty games.

"All in good time. You look cold, Morgana," he smiled looking altogether too pleased for Morgana's liking. She didn't understand what point he was trying to make there. Cenred wasn't exactly the chivalrous type and he clearly didn't have any spare items of clothing to offer her.

"What's it to you?" she snapped. What was Morgause playing at sending Cenred to talk to her? Even now she still wasn't sure if he was going to hurt her or not. Was that his plan then? To come here and hurt her? No, Morgause would not allow it, surely? Throughout her inward deliberation, she had not noticed Cenred move closer to her and, when she came back to her senses, he was in the process of sliding a leather clad arm around her shoulders.

"Get off me, Cenred," she snarled, trying to push his arm off but he was too strong.

"Why? I'm just trying to keep you warm," he replied innocently. "We can't have the Lady Morgana getting cold now, can we?" Oh how she hated his sarcasm.

She chose to ignore the arm around her shoulder. "What are you doing here?" She asked again, trying to ignore how tightly he was holding her against his body.

"Well, My Lady, if you must know I have a brilliant plan," he declared smugly, clearly waiting for Morgana's response.

"I highly doubt that," Morgana huffed, trying once more to move his arm. "What is this brilliant plan, Cenred?"

"Since your sister is otherwise engaged, I thought I should take it upon myself to pay our dear prince a little visit."

Morgana tried to squirm out of his grasp. "What do you mean otherwise engaged? What have you done to Morgause?"

"Calm yourself, Morgana, I have not harmed your sister," he assured her. She took due note of the fact that he did not use her title but couldn't bring herself to reprimand herself for it; after all, she hadn't referred to him as 'King' very much.

"You still haven't explained your plan to me," she informed him, trying to push the fact that he was now stroking his hand down her back and waist out of her mind.

"It's quite simply really," he murmured, his fingers resting for a while on her hip, "I'm going to kill Arthur in his sleep."

"And how do you expect to get _in_? There are guards everywhere!" she scoffed. She really was beginning to wonder about this man's level of intelligence.

"Well, that's where you come in. You're going to sneak me into the castle, show me to Arthur's bedchambers and get me out again."

Morgana grabbed Cenred's hand as it began to slowly move lower down her body. "And if I get caught?" she whispered, stroking his finger with the pad of her thumb. "Are you willing to let me get thrown into the cells?"

She was unashamedly flirting right back now. It seemed to be the best way to get a straight answer out of the king. He seemed to lap up the attention. "I'd come and get you," he promised.

Morgana laughed. "You'd get caught in a second, you don't know your way around the castle and you're not altogether that hard to notice."

He finally eased his grip, letting go of her long enough to turn her to face him. "Then let's not get caught," he decided, pushing her towards the castle.

"What, now?" she exclaimed, her flirty façade thrown aside for the moment as she panicked.

"Yes, now," he told her firmly, his hands still guiding her to where he wanted to go.

"But we haven't prepared… I – I'm not ready!" Morgana protested, trying to pull her arm from his grip as he grabbed it and started dragging her forwards, far less gentle than he'd been before.

"Morgana, from what I've seen, you're very good at improvisation. I'm sure we'll be fine. Now come on!" he urged.

They broke into a gentle run and it didn't take them long to reach he first set of guards at the castle doors. These were not knights, for which Morgana was extremely grateful, and so they did not question the pair. They scuttled through the castle relatively quietly and did not actually encounter anymore guards. However, when they reached the main corridor that led off in one direction to Arthur's chambers and in another to Morgana's chambers, Morgana heard footsteps. She put out an arm to stop Cenred from walking any further and looked up to see Merlin exiting Arthur's room. He had his back to them while he closed the door but he was going to turn around any moment so Morgana did the only thing she could think of. She pushed Cenred through her open door and into her room.

The pair landed in a heap on the floor. Morgana heard a groan beneath her and looked down. She had landed heavily on Cenred who glared up at her. Before she could even begin to apologise Cenred had once again wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her down before positioning himself above her.

"What are you doing?" she hissed, careful not to raise her voice. The last thing she wanted was Merlin to come barging into her chambers to find her in a compromising position with Cenred of all people.

"I thought we could finish where we left off before we were so rudely interrupted by Arthur."

"When?" she asked indignantly, trying to shift herself beneath his weight, attempting to ignore the fact that, as she did so, she could feel every contour, every muscle of his body pressed against her.

"In my castle. Don't tell me you've forgotten already?" he asked, mocking her as though she'd hurt his feelings. Without warning, he lowered his head until his lips rested firmly on hers, moving his hands from her waist to her face so she could not move away from him. His lips were surprisingly soft and gentle; not at all how she thought they'd be – not that she wanted to admit that she'd thought about kissing the King of Essitir at all. All too soon, he pulled away, staring at her intently.

"Don't do that again," she warned him as a knowing smile began to play on those lips that had just kissed her own.

"Tell me you really want me to stop and I will," he whispered, nothing in his eyes but pure lust.

"I thought you were here to kill Arthur?" She questioned, trying to distract him.

"Arthur can wait. Now, tell me what you want, My Lady," Cenred prompted, leaning closer to her once again. "Should I stop?"

Morgana waited a moment, trying to figure him out. If he had any motives for his sudden change of plans she wanted to know about them before she agreed to anything. Despite this, she suddenly found herself shaking her head in reply. "No."

Cenred grinned lowering his head once again and gently resuming the kiss. What had been a slow, gentle kiss soon developed into a far more passionate and somewhat desperate one. It felt nice to be wanted, Morgana decided. She yielded as his tongue insistently pushed its way into her mouth. She'd always been disgusted at the thought of having someone else's tongue in her mouth but it didn't feel all that bad. In fact, his hot, hungry kisses just left her wanting more. She moved her hands – which until this point she'd pinned to her side – up to his chest and began to untie the laces on his leather tunic. She'd never been in this situation before and her hands were incredibly shaky.

"Would you like me to do it, My Lady?" he asked. Had he asked this just an hour ago, he would have smirked but, looking into his eyes now, Morgana saw no hint of a smirk; they were just dark with passion.

"No," she answered, shaking her head determinedly. _She could do this. _She _wanted_ to do this.

What would Morgause think if she could see her now? Morgana found herself thinking absently as she slowly tugged at the laces. It clearly hadn't been part of any of her sister's plans for her to entertain such thoughts about Cenred. "Do you think you could roll over?" she asked hesitantly, hoping that she'd be able to do a better job of removing the tunic if she were above rather than below its wearer. She might actually be able to see what she was doing rather than carrying out a lot of guess work.

Without a word, Cenred turned them over. He lay back as she continued to undo the ties and remained completely silent as she did so, instead watching her intently, making her slightly awkward. Though she wasn't sure how much experience Cenred had she knew she was very obviously inexperienced in this area. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Morgana jumped slightly as the silence was broken. She nodded, finally removing the tunic from Cenred's now bare torso. She had to admit she was rather impressed; Cenred's chest was rather impressive. The only chest she had ever seen naked belonged to Arthur, and that was only by accident. Of course, she'd never thought to pay it any attention, she wouldn't, it was inappropriate. But, as Cenred lay beneath her, she couldn't help but stare at his perfectly formed torso.

Lightly and shyly she ran her fingers over it, causing him to shiver. Now that his tunic was lying somewhere on the floor the other side of the room, he rolled them back over so he was straddling her midriff once again. "Cenred, I-" She stopped and tried to crane her neck backwards – she'd heard a noise just outside the door. "Hide," she hissed, trying to sit up.

"What?"

"Cenred, get off me and hide!" she pleaded urgently.

He did as he was told, questioning her the whole time. "What's going on?" he asked as she began to shove him into her wardrobe. He pushed past the dresses, wrinkling his nose at them. She found it somewhat insulting.

"Someone's coming," she explained, giving him a final shove before slamming the door closed. Morgana rushed towards the bed, sitting on the edge. It wasn't unknown for her to stay awake after a nightmare. Not that she had them very often anymore. Yes, that could be her excuse to whoever was coming.

"My Lady, are you okay?" Gwen asked, coming through the door. "I saw a light and wanted to make sure you were okay."

Morgana smiled as best she could. "You're very sweet, Gwen but I'm fine. I couldn't sleep, that's all." She looked at her hands, trying to avoid Gwen's uncertain stare. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Cenred's discarded tunic a little way away from her foot.

"Can I get you anything?"

"No, thank you. You should get some rest," Morgana decided, shuffling so she could reach the offending item of clothing with her foot. She managed to kick it under the bed before Gwen could notice and bid the other woman a hasty goodnight.

Gwen curtsied as was customary for a woman of her ranking, despite Morgana having assured her on many occasions that they were friends and she didn't really have to when they were alone. Morgana waited for her maidservant to leave the room before getting up from the bed, creeping to the door and locking it when she was sure she was gone.

She leaned against the now secure door, pressing her warm forehead to the cool wood. That was far too close for comfort and it brought her back to her senses with a hard and resounding thud. What she'd been doing with Cenred … it couldn't happen again. She'd been a fool to give into him.

Morgana took a deep breath, cursing herself for her actions. She had been so foolish and now she had to deal with the shirtless man still occupying her wardrobe. As slowly as possible, she made her way over to the closet, pausing for a moment.

"My Lady?" His voice made her jump slightly; childishly, she'd wished he may have somehow disappeared. It would have made the situation a whole lot easier.

Morgana sighed, gently prying the door open and waiting for Cenred to emerge from between her many dresses. He smiled expectantly at her, clearly expecting her to pick up where they left off.

"Cenred, we really can't. I'm sorry for having led you on." She began to back towards her bed, trying to put some distance between her and the clearly irritated king. In hindsight, it probably wasn't a particularly good idea to back herself towards a _bed_ of all places. This didn't seem to be working though as Cenred simply followed her, seemingly unaware she was trying to create a gap between them.

She turned away from him but he pulled her to him, his arms wrapped around her waist and began trailing kisses up and down her neck like he either hadn't heard her protests or was simply ignoring them. Just as before, his mouth was hot and she hated herself for wanting more.

"Cenred, please," she begged more loudly, managing to turn around and hold him at arm's length.

"Why?" he asked, sounding a little disappointed, trying to get closer to her once more.

"For one, I am the king's ward, second, as I pointed out yesterday, you are courting my _sister_" she explained, struggling against his heavy body.

He laughed, brushing her arms with his large hands. "And as I told you, if I see something beautiful I have to have it. You should be flattered, Morgana."

How romantic!

"You really are charming, aren't you, Cenred?" she snapped, trying to stop him from moving any closer.

"I can be charming, if you'd let me."

Morgana scoffed, glaring at him. "I really doubt that." He struggled to get closer to her despite her tight grip on him.

"That wasn't how you were acting before we were interrupted, My Lady. I'd wager you were finding me very charming." He was beginning to put enough strain on her arms that Morgana was starting to fear he was going to break free.

"You should leave," she told him coldly, trying desperately to hide from her voice the fact that, actually, she didn't want him to leave at all.

"What if I don't want to?" he countered, tilting his head to the side.

"You have to," she stated through very gritted teeth, trying her best to keep her voice void of emotion. He looked at her for a moment and half raised a hand as if to touch her face but then he dropped it.

"Fine," he muttered, taking a few steps back.

"What?" she asked despite herself. He'd been so determined before and she didn't trust him to give up without any more of a fight.

"Fine," he repeated before giving her an exaggerated bow and swiftly unlocking the door and leaving the room, making sure to close it again behind him.

Morgana gasped as she heard his footsteps echoing through the corridor. She didn't understand what had just happened. Cenred had been so intent on continuing their previous activities so why had he just left her. Much as she didn't want to admit it, part of her was rather disappointed he hadn't put up more of a fight.

The other part of her wanted to understand what game he was playing. Showing up in the woods in the place of her sister, completely forgetting his plans to kill Arthur and just leaving her? It didn't seem to Morgana a very well thought out plan. She sighed, walking over to the door to make sure it was locked before returning to her bed to sleep off her confusion.

**A/N … Hello! Kim should be writing this but she's being a lazy little ****. We know we said we wouldn't continue this until after our exams, but hey, you should never listen to any promises we make. However, the updates will probably slow down during the exam period. We'd really love to know what people think of the story so far so please, please, please be nice and review? Cheers!**


	3. Chapter 3

Morgana didn't get very much sleep that night and when she did she was plagued by nightmares. Well, _nightmare._ It was always the same one: Gwen sat on _her_ throne as Arthur's queen. So, all in all, when her maidservant knocked on her locked door the next morning, Morgana wasn't exactly in the best of moods.

"Why was the door locked, My Lady? You never normally lock it," Gwen remarked, walking into Morgana's room with a heavily laden breakfast tray.

"I er…" She was about to come out with some excuse regarding how she was 'fiddling with the lock and must have done it by accident' when she noticed Cenred's tunic still lying under the bed. She frowned; he went all the way back to Essitir in the freezing cold without it?

"My Lady?" Gwen asked, trying to follow her line of sight.

"It's nothing, Gwen. I'm sorry about the lock it was an accident," Morgana explained, trying as subtly as possible to position herself in front of the offending garment. Gwen looked at her strangely, clearly not believing her. "Would you help me dress? The green one, please?"

The maid nodded walking over to the wardrobe leaving Morgana to try desperately to figure out a way to get the tunic out of her room and preferably back to its owner. "Oh, would you get my shoes as well?" she added quickly as Gwen began to turn around. "Any, just make sure they match the dress. I have a meeting to attend."

"Here you go, My Lady," Gwen said, handing her a pair of shoes to match the green dress Morgana was already slipping into.

"Thank you, Gwen," she smiled. Morgana was beginning to feel bad for her recent behaviour and thoughts towards her maidservant; however, she couldn't shake the disturbing image of her as queen from her troubled head.

"You may take the morning off," Morgana decided, turning to face Gwen.

"Oh," she replied, looking taken aback. "I'm sure I can find some-"

"No, really, Gwen. I'll be in this meeting with Uther and Arthur all morning – something to do with the allocation of guards and many other boring matters – so I will have no need of you. You do so much for me anyway, go and have some time to yourself." Her meeting wouldn't actually take that long – the two men never tended to listen to her input on such matters – but, if she was going to do something about this blasted tunic, then she didn't want Gwen in the way.

She waited for Guinevere to vacate her room before kicking the garment of clothing further under the bed, just in case she came back in to tidy or change the bed sheets. While she was on the topic of bed sheets, Morgana could only be grateful that her antics with Cenred hadn't gone any further last night, otherwise she really would have had some explaining to do. She shuddered at the thought before painting a smile on her face, ready to face the king and Arthur.

XXX

Morgana walked slowly back to her room deep in thought as she once again considered Cenred's seemingly random arrival in Camelot.

"My Lady!"

She turned, plastering a smile on her face. "Sir Leon, what can I do for you?"

He shook his head. "I was asked to inform you that the King is going for a ride while Arthur trains. The king asked me to find out if you wanted to join him."

She struggled to keep her smile in place. "How sweet of him, but I'm afraid I have a headache. Thank you for taking the time to find me, Leon."

The knight bowed slightly before hurrying on his way to catch up with the rest of the knights leaving Morgana to continue on her way to her chambers. Why Uther couldn't have asked her that himself during their meeting, she did not know. She scuttled along the corridors, trying to remain unseen by anyone else; it's not that she was up to something (if you discounted disposing of Cenred's leathers); it's just that she wasn't in the mood to be bothered by anyone.

But, as ever when Morgana wanted peace and quiet, she didn't get it.

"My Lady," an annoyingly familiar voice said as the man it belonged to came sweeping out from one of the guest bedrooms.

"Cenred, I really wish you would stop jumping out at me," she snapped, regarding his smirk and still shirtless torso. "What are you still doing here anyway? I thought I asked you to leave."

"I couldn't very well travel back to my castle like this, could I?" he asked in a very mockingly indignant manner whilst gesturing with his hand to his topless frame. His topless, tanned, perfectly formed… _Stop it Morgana! _The Lady of Camelot was getting rather annoyed at herself; since when had she _ever_ been shallow enough to allow herself to be swayed by looks? She blinked hard to stop herself staring; the last thing she wanted was for him to notice. No, actually, the last thing she wanted was for the pair of them to be found. She shoved him which as much strength as her delicate body could muster into the bedroom he'd sprung from.

"You sure like to corner me in bedrooms, My Lady," the still topless king practically purred. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you rather enjoyed it."

"Don't flatter yourself, I find the very thought of what you're suggesting repulsive." Morgana tried to keep her voice steady and quiet enough that no one would hear them. She was beginning to wish she had just left Cenred to Uther's so-called 'mercy'.

Cenred chuckled darkly at her words. "I'm wounded, Morgana. I was simply stating a very apparent fact and you treat it as if I was suggesting something that is most ungallant. Do you really think so little of me?"

"Urgh… do you want your tunic or not?" she asked, refusing to answer his question.

"Well that depends," he told her.

"On what?" she sighed, getting rather tired of his games. Why did he have get under her skin so much?

"On whether you prefer me with it or without it," he stated, tilting his head in that annoying way that made her want to slap his stupid, smug face.

"Wait here," she spat through tightly gritted teeth, ignoring his very exaggerated smirk. She needed to get away from him before she did something else she'd regret and so she swivelled on her heel, ensuring her hair whipped him in his face as she did so and marched from the room.

Morgana breathed heavily as she rushed to retrieve Cenred's tunic. She prayed silently that he would listen to her so that she could get him safely out of the castle and away from her.

Why did he have such an influence over her? She had been around many attractive men in her life and none of them had made her lose her head so quickly, if at all. Why could someone as smug and loathsome as Cenred make her heart race? She hated him.

"Morgana?" Just what she needed. Sighing to herself she continued walking, pretending she hadn't heard her name being called.

"Morgana!" the voice repeated, louder this time and closer.

"What is it, Gwen?" she asked, harsher than intended as she whirled around to see her maidservant hurrying down the corridor towards her.

"My Lady, I'm sorry to disturb you,'" she began, shrinking back a little as she noticed the harsh tone of Morgana's voice. Morgana cursed herself inwardly; she'd never meant to snap and it hurt her to think Gwen was scared of her.

"It's fine, Gwen," Morgana assured her, smiling sweetly to try and cover up her previous tone of voice.

Okay. Well, I was just wondering if I could, perhaps… I mean, if you don't need me for anything, could I please…?"

"Spit it out, Gwen," Morgana laughed to see her friend so flustered.

"Could I have the night off, My Lady?" she finally asked in a hurry. Morgana tried to read Gwen's face but her maidservant had suddenly insisted on looking at the floor.

"Gwen, why do you-" She stopped and almost gasped as she saw Cenred emerge from the bedroom she'd just left him in. He grinned at the look of panic that had crept over Morgana's face and he leaned back against the doorframe. "Of course you can, Gwen," she told the woman quickly, trying not to look too desperate as she ushered her maidservant to continue on down the corridor, away from her and away from where she could turn around and see Cenred.

She glanced around to check the cost was clear before arching up to Cenred, stretching to her full height- though still a couple of inches shorter than he was- in an attempt to intimidate him.

"What do you think you're playing at? Are you that desperate to get yourself killed?"

He laughed, slowly snaking his arm around her waist. "You sound concerned, My Lady."

Morgana tried her best to resist as he pulled her flush against his chest. "Yes, I'd rather not be associated with you. You're a complete fool." She ignored the fact that her cheek was now pressed firmly against his well-formed chest. "Let go of me. Anyone could see us. You. I mean- just let go!"

"Alright, alright!" he laughed, letting go of her and holding his hands up in surrender. She scowled at him – he should have looked guilty but it was evident from his expression that he felt nothing but amused by their current situation. "Well, what are you waiting for?" he asked. She kept her scowl in place. _What did he mean? _"I'm freezing," he added, hugging himself and rubbing his toned arms for emphasis.

"Oh. Right. Tunic." She turned to go and retrieve the tunic from her chambers and then thought better of leaving him standing in the corridor alone. "Get back in there," she demanded.

"I do so love it when you order me about," he said, winking at her as she pushed him back inside the bedroom and shut the door behind him before trying to regain her wits as she walked off swiftly down the corridor.

XXX

She grabbed the tunic quickly, hurrying through her bedroom door. She hoped that no one would notice or ask her why she was carrying what was clearly a man's tunic through the castle. Though she was admittedly a very talented liar she didn't think even she could come up with a convincing lie.

"Cenred," Morgana hissed as she came to the room she had left him in. She stood in awkward silence for a few seconds before the door slowly opened and an arm poked out, grabbing her wrist and pulling into the room.

"Here," she muttered, tossing the tunic towards Cenred's bare torso.

"Thank you," he muttered, taking it from her, but he didn't put it on; instead, he held it limply by his side. Morgana was starting to get agitated. What was he waiting for? He had the tunic, why didn't he just put it on and leave?

"Well put it on then," she said, exasperatedly, looking behind her at the door as though scared someone were about to burst through it. What she hadn't expected was to turn back around and find he'd crossed the distance between them and was now merely inches from her. "Cenred, what are you-" She didn't get the chance to finish her question; he silenced her by crushing his hot, open mouth onto her own so hard that she could've sworn she saw stars.

Morgana didn't put up any fight as he tugged her even closer, still not removing his lips from hers. How she hated herself for how much she enjoyed it. She couldn't stop herself kissing him back and beginning to run her fingers through his long hair.

She couldn't even explain why she was allowing herself to encourage him but she couldn't help it. He had been right all along; she wanted him. Really wanted him- more than she had wanted any other man. She was very aware of his bare chest so close to her own and yet she wanted to be even closer.

_No. Not again. Morgana, get a grip!_

"Cenred, stop," she pleaded, quite aware of how breathless she sounded.

"Not again," he muttered, rolling his eyes. She flinched at how he echoed her unspoken words. "Why do keep doing this?" he asked gruffly, his breath also short, as she pushed him away. When she didn't answer he added "You really know how to confuse a man, My Lady."

"Cenred I just can't. You know why I can't," she told him defiantly.

He studied her for a moment before finally putting on his tunic. "Fine. In that case, I won't bother you ever again," he snarled, his tone now devoid of all feeling. He gave her one last cold glare before striding past her out of the room, slamming the door behind him. She flinched at the sound, breathing heavily as she heard Cenred's footsteps echoing down the corridor. Despite her relief that he had finally decided to leave her alone, Morgana couldn't help but be saddened by his words. She would never openly admit it but she rather enjoyed his attention and she couldn't deny that he was a particularly attractive man.

With a final look around the room to make sure no had seen them, she began a reluctant journey back to her own. She decided she would have to see Morgause soon. Cenred was beginning to distract her from their plans.

**A/N … (Kim) We're so sorry for the delay but exams kinda put the whole writing process on hold. We hope you enjoy this chapter, personally I think it's pretty funny and you get copious amounts of topless Cenred, I think that's apology enough in itself...Please R&R?**


	4. Chapter 4

"Sister?" Morgana heard Morgause's voice and breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness she'd come herself this time and not Cenred. However, relief was quickly replaced with guilt. Morgause swept out from behind a tree, smiling widely at Morgana. Although Morgana was pleased to see her sister, she could not stop the thoughts of what her and Cenred had done swimming through her mind.

"Are you well, sister?" Morgause asked, tilting Morgana's chin up so she could see her face.

"I'm quite well," Morgana replied, trying not to meet Morgause's eyes. "You didn't meet me," she stated, trying to change the subject and yet unable to keep a slightly sulky hint out of her voice. If Morgause had just met her the other night, as was arranged, none of this business with Cenred would have happened.

"I had business to take care of. I'm not sure how far we can trust Cenred to keep his promises." Morgana frowned; Morgause had always told her she trusted Cenred, what had changed?

"I thought you told me you could trust Cenred," she paused, annoyed with herself for allowing her voice to shake. "You said he would do anything for you, thanks to your special relationship." Morgause laughed, at least it sounded like it should have been a laugh but came out bitter and harsh. "I have reason to believe he has found someone new to occupy himself with. I intended to find out who."

Morgana's heart began to race so hard that she feared her sister would hear it.

"What reason have you to believe that?" she asked, trying to calm her nerves and sound casual. It was a lot to ask given she felt her chest was about to burst open.

"He didn't return to me last night," Morgause explained, "and when he arrived back this morning, he refused to say where he'd been. Did he say anything to you?" she asked. Morgana's eyes widened in panic and she gulped. "When he met you for me, did he mention where he may be going afterwards?" Morgause pushed when Morgana didn't answer.

"Sister, Cenred said nothing to me; I assure you I would tell you if he had. He did nothing to suggest to me that there was someone else."

Morgana felt a stab of guilt at her lie. Morgause was so trusting, nodding along. She had never lied so blatantly to her sister before. In the year Morgause had been teaching her and caring for her after Merlin had poisoned her she would never have imagined lying to her.

"He talks about you a lot, Cenred I mean. He seems very fond of you," Morgause muttered, her voice gradually getting louder as she spoke.

"I don't know why that is," Morgana replied, "I've not spoken to him much at all." How she wished Morgause would change the subject; she hadn't come to stand in the freezing cold to talk about Cenred all night. "Anyway, what are we going to do next?"

Morgause seemed to deliberate for a moment. "Does Arthur suspect you, sister?" she asked eventually.

"No," Morgana assured her. "Why should he?" Morgause shrugged and shook her head like it didn't matter. "You don't doubt my ability to play my part, do you? You do trust me?"

"Of course not," Morgause promised, taking Morgana's hands. "It's not you I don't trust."

"I know," Morgana smiled, nodding. "Why do you ask about Arthur?"

"He is going to need absolute trust in you if our plan is to work, Morgana. I was simply worried, after what happened in Cenred's castle, I was worried our dear friend Merlin might have said something."

Morgana frowned. "He is strangely fond of the boy. However, I do not believe he would trust a servant over me, Uther would never allow it." She was relieved at the change in direction their conversation had taken; she wasn't sure how long she would have been able to continue lying to her sister.

"Morgana, are you sure you're alright? You seem…" Morgause waved her hand about a little, clearly looking for the right word. "You seem distracted."

"I'm fine, honestly. Thank you," she added, turning her face slightly so Morgause couldn't detect any hint of a lie in her eyes.

"What's that on your neck?" Morgause asked, taking a step closer to Morgana.

"What?" Morgana was genuinely confused. She brushed her hand over the right side of her neck and found the skin there to be sensitive. It felt like a bruise, but even as she thought that, Morgana realised in horror that it was not a bruise at all. _Cenred!_ "Oh it's nothing," Morgana insisted, covering the spot with her cloak. "I really should be getting back before someone notices I've gone."

"Of course, sister. I am sure I will see you again very soon." Morgana nodded, pulling her cloak tighter around her neck to avoid any further questioning. She could still feel Morgause's stare on her and tried to ignore the overwhelming guilt that was beginning to come over her.

She hadn't actually done anything wrong. Morgause and Cenred were not married or even betrothed and she certainly wasn't. Besides, it was plain for anyone to see that Morgause was simply using the King of Essitir for her own ends. Not that these technicalities were important any longer – Cenred had made it quite clear he never wanted to see her again.

XXX

Morgana began to make her way back to the castle but she had a strange, nagging sense that someone was following her. She tried to shake it off, quickening her footsteps and ignoring the rustling of the leaves behind her, putting it down the non-existent breeze. She looked around a couple of times and could've sworn she saw the shadow of somebody slipping between trees.

When she reached the castle steps – and not a moment too soon, as far as Morgana was concerned – she took one last look around. She sighed with relief and almost laughed when she saw she was alone. She was being stupid; why would anyone be following her?

Morgana sighed and continued on her way, annoyed with herself for being so paranoid. It wasn't as if anyone could do anything to her, she could easily defend herself. Even so, she was relieved to be back in the castle, no one would dare harm her with the guards around.

She began to move faster, eager to get to her chambers. She was tired after everything that had happened in the past few days. Morgana wanted to believe that Cenred really would leave her alone, however sad the thought made her. If he did it would make her life that little bit easier.

XXX

She awoke the next morning to find Gwen had already laid her out her dress on the chair by her dresser. She frowned slightly; it was the silver one. It wasn't one Morgana wore during the day very often for the simple reason it was quite low and the sleeves were see-through – she regarded it as more of an evening/special occasion gown.

Gwen was nowhere to be seen so Morgana sighed, got out of bed and put the dress on herself, doing up the back with difficulty.

"Oh. You're wearing that dress today, My Lady?" Gwen walked into the room, holding Morgana's breakfast tray, looking almost puzzled at Morgana's choice of outfit. Not that it was Morgana's choice.

"You left it out for me, I assumed you meant for me to wear it," she stated, confused by Gwen's reaction. She began to pick at the breakfast tray while her maid began to brush her hair.

"I hadn't put that one out, My Lady. You were still asleep when I left to get your breakfast and I thought it would be better to ask your opinion first."

Morgana nodded as she took a bite from an apple. "I wonder who put it out for me?"

The thought of someone other than Gwen entering her room while she slept made her uneasy. It was then that Morgana remembered the night before and how she felt someone was following her through the woods and back to the castle.

"My Lady?" Gwen asked, looking more than a little concerned. Morgana shook herself from her thoughts and smiled, partly because she didn't want to worry Gwen but mainly because she didn't want to have to explain to everything to her maidservant. Nobody needed to know what had gone on between her and Cenred, especially not somebody he'd kidnapped as part of a plot that she was actually involved in.

"It's a mystery," Morgana decided, trying to giggle so it would appear she wasn't worried about it.

Gwen nodded and giving the subject no further mention. She picked up the sheets and left the room, leaving Morgana to dwell on the matter of the dress herself.

XXX

"Morgana, are you listening to me?"

Morgana looked up from her food and smiled at her guardian. "Of course I am, My Lord. I have a headache is all, would you mind terribly if I retired early?"

The king nodded, standing as she left the room. As she made her way down the corridor she looked down at her dress, still confused as to who had left it out for her.

"You're wearing it!" The young woman came to a grinding halt, almost falling flat on her face as she lurched forward. She whirled around, dress flying with her, just in time to see Cenred sliding out from behind a wall, the usual smirk painted on his face.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" she hissed, trying to keep her trembling voice to a whisper. She brought a hand to her heaving chest and noticed how Cenred's eyes followed it. She scowled at his obvious leering and awaited his answer.

"You're wearing it," he repeated, his smirk turning into an appreciative smile as he looked her up and down.

"It was you!" she realised, glaring at the still-smiling king. "How did you get into my room?"

Cenred shrugged nonchalantly, clearly not caring that they were stood in the middle of the corridor where anyone could see them. "It's not exactly difficult, My Lady."

She sighed, moving forward to pull him out of view. "Why are you still here? I thought you left, you made it quite clear you never wanted to see me again."

"And miss the view?" He grinned, leaning against the wall and folding his arms across his chest. "Can you honestly tell me you're not happy I came back?"

"You never actually left," she retorted childishly, moving her arms to cover the areas of skin Cenred's choice of dress had left bare.

"Come on, Morgana, you know that's not true," he replied, still not moving his eyes from Morgana's now covered chest. If she was honest, she found it very disrespectful. She coughed slightly, causing him to meet her eyes, and frowned. What did he mean she knew that wasn't true?

"In the forest? Morgause told you how she no longer trusts me. She told you how she believes a new woman has my attention." Realisation dawned on Morgana for the second time that evening.

"It was you!" she shouted in an accusatory manner, the irony of her repeated words not lost on her for a second. "You followed me back to the castle last night."

"Well how else was I supposed to find your room?" he asked. "In case you didn't realise, last time you took me there, I was too preoccupied to etch the way into my memory."

Morgana rolled her eyes. "Don't remind me," she muttered.

Cenred chuckled, moving slightly closer. "We're not going over this again; you enjoyed it just as much as I did, Morgana."

Morgana narrowed her eyes. He was really beginning to get on her last nerve; she wanted him out of the castle and away from her, as far away as possible. "You have to leave, Cenred."

Cenred laughed quietly, clearly not taking her seriously at all. "Judging from the fact you haven't tried to walk away from me, you're not all that desperate to be rid of me."

She didn't wait for him to finish speaking before she began to walk away. Morgana didn't need to look behind her to know Cenred was following. She rolled her eyes and tried to ignore the annoying feeling in the pit of her stomach which told her that she liked the attention. They walked in single file back to her room, Morgana unsure of how to handle the situation now.

She reached her bedroom door, hoping Gwen wasn't inside and paused.

"Cenred, I-" she began, but whatever she'd been about to say would go forever unsaid as, when she turned around, he pushed her back into the door, using her body to open it, and kissed her hard on the mouth. In the back of her mind, she knew she shouldn't be letting him do this but she didn't seem able to stop him.

She didn't resist as he pushed her towards the bed never moving his mouth from hers. The entire time her mind screamed at her to stop him. She ignored it, kissing him back with more vigour than she thought possible. Morgana sighed as he lowered her gently onto her bed, pulling away from her to check that she wasn't about to change her mind.

"Don't stop," she whispered, stretching up to recapture his mouth. She frowned when he pulled back. "What is it?"

"I thought you were desperate to get rid of me," he grinned.

Morgana didn't reply, grabbing his shirt and resuming the kiss before he could say anymore. If she was going to do this, she was going to get what she wanted without him making fun of her for it.

"Wait," she said, hesitating as he knelt above her to remove his leather breeches.

"No, Morgana, not again," he growled, clearly annoyed at her shilly-shallying.

"But what about my sister?" she asked, biting her lip in anguish.

"Your sister isn't here," he replied, rolling his eyes and throwing his breeches to the floor.

"No," Morgana agreed, propping herself up on her elbows, "but you are supposed to be courting her and where I come from, it's not customary to engage in this sort of behaviour with another woman."

"What Morgause doesn't know won't hurt her," he stated, climbing back on top of Morgana and pushing her dress up her thighs.

She nodded hesitantly, squirming slightly as he ran his hands over her thighs. She wondered absently how experienced he was in this area. Clearly he knew what he was doing and was probably already aware of his complete lack of experience.

"Cenred?"

He sighed before looking at her. "What is it, Morgana?"

She sat up causing him to shift backwards. "How many…" she trailed off; too embarrassed to ask the question.

Cenred frowned at her, kissing her again. "It doesn't matter," he muttered, avoiding the question.

"Cenred, did you and Morgause ever?" He nodded, not meeting her eyes.

Morgana nodded solemnly and looked down at her hands. She sighed before saying "I can't." She didn't want to look at Cenred for she knew the emotion in her eyes would betray her words. Deep down, Morgana knew that there was a small part of her which would regret stopping Cenred but she just couldn't go through with it anymore, not now she knew he'd lain with her sister.

The man in front of her let out an angry growl which made her flinch. She knew exactly what the King of Essitir was capable of and the last thing she wanted was for him to get angry, not while she was in this vulnerable position.

"I'm sorry, I know it was wrong of me to let things go this far but I can't. Surely you can understand that?" Morgana pleaded, looking up from her hands. It was plain to see that Cenred was incredibly angry with her and the thought frightened her more than she was willing to admit. The last time she had seen him that angry was when he had been holding a sword to her throat.

"We both know Morgause is using me for my army, Morgana," Cenred tried to reason, trying to hold her hand.

"She seemed very upset at the thought you had found someone new, it would kill her to know it was me."

Cenred mumbled something which Morgana thought might have been about killing Morgause anyway but Morgana pushed it to one side, hoping she'd heard wrong, although she couldn't deny that if Morgause was out of the way her relationship with Cenred would be a lot less complicated. _No._

"Can you please just go?" Morgana tried, not really expecting Cenred to comply, so when he reached down for his breeches and put them back on, she couldn't deny she was shocked and, maybe, a little bit disappointed. "Cenred, I really am sorry," she muttered tentatively. While she felt a sense of relief that he was departing her company, she didn't want him to leave on bad terms.

He sighed, turning to say something before thinking better of it and leaving without another word.

Morgana stared at the door for a few minutes before climbing underneath the sheets, hoping that sleeping would clear her head. She didn't want to think about Cenred or what had almost happened between them. Again.

XXX

Morgana walked with Arthur after the morning's council meeting. He was trying to convince her that he hadn't been staring at Gwen for at least half of the meeting.

"Why would I stare at your maidservant of all people?"

Morgana laughed, patting Arthur's arm. "You can't lie to me, Arthur. I've known you since we were children."

"Well clearly you don't know me very well," he stated, sticking his bottom lip out and pulling his best pouty expression. Morgana laughed; she knew the prince all too well.

"I think I do," she replied, linking her arm through his. Morgana had the temptation to pat his head but she knew he'd find it condescending so she resisted.

"What about you, Morgana?"

Morgana halted, confused as to what he could possibly mean. "What about me, Arthur?"

"You've been acting strangely around Merlin lately, don't tell me you have feelings for my manservant," Arthur grinned, clearly thinking he had made a huge breakthrough.

Morgana scoffed, trying to not to show how disgusted she was by the very idea that she could have any sort of feelings for Merlin. Still, she was relieved that Arthur had not figured out the real reason for her changing attitude towards the servant. That would have been a disaster to say the least.

"Don't change the subject," she told him. Arthur was not getting out of this one, not this time.

"I can change the subject if I want to," he countered, sulking.

"Gwen is very pretty," Morgana said tentatively, trying a new angle.

"Yes she is," Arthur replied.

"So you _do_ have feelings for her!" Morgana shouted, jumping in front of the prince to face him.

"That's not what I said, Morgana," he sighed, taking hold of her upper arms and moving her gently out of the way so they could keep walking. Arthur may have denied his feelings but his deeply reddening face said otherwise and it made Morgana smile knowingly.

"Would you like to go for a ride?" she asked, laughing at his confused expression. It was clear he was trying to figure out if she was trying to find a new angle of questioning.

"Why?"

Morgana nudged him gently with her elbow. "So I can have you killed by bandits," she sighed, frowning when he stopped. Surely he couldn't think she actually meant it? "Perhaps I just want the pleasure of your company. We never get to spend any time together these days."

It was true. Morgana had missed the simpler times when she would go on rides with Arthur just so they could escape their duties and Uther's disapproving glare. She had always enjoyed riding with Arthur, even if it was only to prove her horse could always beat his in a race.

"Okay," he decided, still eyeing her suspiciously. It made her squirm; she felt a little guilty. After all, she had spent the past year or so plotting with her sister to kill him. "Are you coming then?" he asked, already walking off and turning back when he realised she wasn't still with him.

"Of course," she smiled, hurrying after him.

"Honestly," he tutted, "women!" Morgana let that one go, smiling wryly at his back.

**A/N … (Emily)** I'd like to start by saying 'hey' and apologising for my writing partner's use of the word 'shilly-shallying'… she's strange. (I just got told off for that) We'd also like to apologise for any grammatical errors or just general crapiness – we were writing the majority of this chapter whilst watching the Wimbledon men's semi-finals, it's rather tense.

Hope you're enjoying the story, please review? We love reviews…


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